countdown to the brec

Count Down to the B.R.E.C.

The Hockey team’s long wait is all but over

By: Jake Kelly and Zuzka Tomcikova


story #3

With the final week before the opening of the B.R.E.C. [Bemidji Regional Event Center] the BSU hockey players are teaming with anticipation. Because the event center isn’t ready yet and the cost of putting ice in the John Glas Field-house is too high both men’s and woman’s teams are practicing at the Bemidji Curling Club until the official opening of the event center. 

The trip back and forth between campus and the curling club arena is starting to annoy some players “I don’t want to complain but it’s really inconvenient to pack up all your equipment and drive over only to have to come back two hours later,” said Marlee Wheelhouse, a junior on the women’s hockey team.

Since beginning construction in 2009, hockey players and fans have been anxious for the new event center to open. The event center will be used for concerts, performances, and conferences. However, the main purpose for its construction is to be the new home arena for the BSU men’s and woman’s hockey teams. Due to the men’s entrance into the WCHA [Western Collegiate Hockey Association] a new facility became necessary to better suit the league requirements.

After a long building process, the time is finally here for the B.R.E.C. to be used and players are ready to move in. “I just can’t wait to get settled in,” said senior forward Erin Johnson. “It seems like we’ve been waiting so long for the event center to open and now that it’s only a few days away time seems to be going by even slower.”

The event center is in the process of putting the ice in because the hockey teams are a week away from their first opportunity to use the new arena. The only thing holding up the process of moving in to their new facilities is the occupancy permit, “The occupancy permit is a legal document stating the structure is safe enough to use,” said Women’s Assistant Hockey Coach Heather Farrell. “The City of Bemidji and the Krausse Anderson Company [The creators of the B.R.E.C.] have to do a structural inspection of the building before they give us the permit to use it.”

A few of BSU’s hockey players have seen the new facility, “The new locker rooms are amazing,” said Darcy Findlay. “There’s so much room for us to relax before practice or games. The training room also made some serious upgrades.” Matt Carlson said, “I knew the B.R.E.C. was supposed to be nice but this passed all our expectations. We’re all really excited to get moved in soon.”

The first home series are set to be played Oct. 15^th and 16^th and fans are eager for the season to start. The new conference and event center have caused a lot of excitement among the community, BSU students and alumni are anticipating the official opening. “I’m so excited to go watch the first home game in the B.R.E.C. I bought season tickets right when they were available so I feel like I’ve been waiting forever to use them,” said Jared Madrino.

 The B.R.E.C. has caused a lot of conversation around campus and the community and on Oct. 15^th, 2010 the beaver fans and players will get to experience what they’ve been anticipating.

Bemidji will continue to participate in the 350.org mission

The annual worldwide event will allow the Bemidji public to participate and volunteer to help with the climate crisis

By Caley Jorgensen

Story #3

September 30, 2010

Word Count: 656

          On Oct. 10, as people pass by the waterfront, they might notice volunteers with big bags scattered around the area picking up trash. They might notice volunteers with dirt on their knees from planting tree seedlings in the local parks. These volunteers will be taking part in 350, one of the largest campaigns in the world, in which over 180 countries will work simultaneously in helping their local areas.

These flyers will be seen on bulletin boards around BSU’s 

campus to help spread the word and give students a 

volunteer opportunity. Picture taken by Caley Jorgensen.

Bemidji will participate in this international project to help stop rising carbon emissions in the atmosphere. Right now, the atmosphere contains around 390 parts per million CO2. The goal of 350 is to reduce carbon emissions to 350 parts per million. Scientists believe this will be a more sustainable level for the atmosphere.           

There will be a trash clean up along Lake Bemidji, the Mississippi River, and parks around the area. There will be brush clean ups for Bemidji bike trails that will be created. Tree seedlings will be planted in local school forests and parks. “A yearly rally isn’t going to solve the problem, but it helps promote to people that they can bring these habits into their lifestyles,” said Brett Cease, a group leader and volunteer.

A public meeting was held Sept. 29 at the Wild Hare coffee shop in downtown Bemidji to organize the Bemidji activities for this cause. Cease, accompanied by Alisa Hoven, a volunteer in last year’s activities, sat down to give more information on the upcoming rally. “We’re negatively impacting the environment and we’re finding ways to change those habits,” Cease said. “It involves looking at areas including how we eat, where we drive, and how we use energy.”

A meeting was held here on Sept. 29 

to discuss and plan Bemidji’s part in 350.

 Another meeting will be here at noon on Oct. 6. 

Picture taken by Caley Jorgensen.

350 is based on the scientific notion of the organization IPCC, [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]. Instead of stating “let’s protect the earth”, the goal was to have a clear, scientific goal to shoot for. On 350.org, James Hansen, the head of NASA Institute for Space Studies in New York City and respected advocate of climatology, states, “If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted … CO2 will need to be reduced from its current 385 ppm to at most 350 ppm.”

Last year, on Oct. 24, there were about 5200 rallies in 181 countries. CNN calls the event the “most widespread day of political action in the planet’s history.” Events will range from installing solar panels, digging community gardens, to simply fixing bikes. Building off of the campaign called Step It Up, 350.org has been in action for two years and plans to continue until the goal can be reached.

A group of volunteers gathered in front of Paul and Babe 

last year on Oct. 24 for a group photo, showing they participated 

and helped clean up Bemidji in 2009’s event. Submitted 

picture from 350.org.

Another meeting will be held on Oct. 6 at noon, at the Wild Hare coffee shop, to help plan and prepare the upcoming event. On Bemidji’s site on 350.org, it states, “We will work together to beautify our city while raising awareness about the importance of building a sustainable future for our city and country."

To get involved and participate on the movement, the public will meet at noon on Sunday, Oct. 10 at the Paul and Babe Waterfront, where cleaning up the local area will begin. For harsh weather, it will start inside the Headwaters Unitarian Church. “It’s a big rally and cry all around the world based on last year’s events.” Cease said. “Hopefully this year will be a repeat of that.”

Turn off your televisions and get outside!

People of all ages spent a day playing

By Rhea Wawrzyniak

Word Count: 681  
Story #3

By Rhea Wawrzyniak

“Welcome to World Wide Day of Play 2010” read the archway entrance 

to World Wide Day of Play held by the City of Bemidji Parks and

Recreation Department at the Waterfront sending out the message

“Come play with us!”

Feel the sun beating down, with the cool breeze hitting your face, what to do with this day?    

The day will go on, rain or shine, said Samantha Parker, special events coordinator. Fortunately for the participants, however, the sun was shining Saturday, Sept. 25^th when Bemidji celebrated the World Wide Day of Play. The day began with a 9:00 a.m. bike ride and the day continued at the Waterfront from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The recreation department has been giving residents more options to get active, including The Day of Play which was initially started by Nickelodeon.

This is actually the second year Bemidji has had this event. Last year it was called the “Active Living Health Carnival.” 



The bike ride consisted of about 49 bikers. The bikers took two routes, one that is shorter for families with kids, and the other one went around the lake for the more experienced bikers. “The bike ride was great,” said Matthew Dyrdahl, with active living. “It was actually a really comfortable ride, because there was no rain coming down on people, but it was kind of a nice cool ride, I think people really enjoyed it!”

“It’s not very often you get to ride on the road with a crowd,” said a participant in the morning bike, Eric Seefeld.



By Rhea Wawrzyniak

There were many short classes available to try out in the tent
during the day. These classes included dance classes and fitness crazes.
Shown in the photo above is Zumba for kids.



A lot of helmets sold for a good price, so people that didn’t have helmets before have them now. Also a lot of shirts and water bottles were given away. “We are just trying to promote bicycling as a safe and fun transportation option,” said Dyrdahl.

About 300 wristbands sold at $5.00 each, and the wristbands allowed you to do all the activities and new fitness crazes. About 600 people attended according to Parker.  

It was the first time at World Wide Day of Play for Brandy Barber. Brandy came to the waterfront with her family, and as she was watching her kids canoeing she shared that her favorite activities so far are paintballing, archery range, and the canoeing for her kids. Brandy Barber will definitely come again. “It’s fantastic, I didn’t think they were going to have so many things,” said Barber.



Samantha Parker brought in Positive Motion in from Fargo to be part of the World Wide Day of Play. “Positive Motion is a mind body fitness program where we encourage, inspire and motivate people to live happier and healthier lives,” said Positive Motion representative Patrick Kasper. 



By Rhea Wawrzyniak

There were many booths to visit at the Waterfront including dance

 booths, activity booths, and fitness and health booths. These booths

help the community become aware and involved in various activities. 



A lot of other fitness crazes encouraged people to be active including Zumba, Yoga, and Bootcamp, from various workout studios. There were many dance techniques and dancing from the dance studios. There were also workouts and conditioning from Bemidji State University Gillett. 

Also the first time at World Wide Day of Play for Kortni Cloud, age 11, and she shared what she did so far. “I did canoeing, I’ve done paintballing, I did that push button game, and I played on the blow up toys,” said Cloud. Out of all the things she did so far paintballing was her favorite and she would for sure come back again!

World Wide Day of Play will be an annual event encouraging you to put a little play into your day!









By Rhea Wawrzyniak

There were many sponsors to thank, that made this event possible!  

BSU Campus Security gets a makeover

Name is changed to Public Safety

By Andrew Pooch and Nick Jelacie

Word Count: 528

If you are a returning student to campus this year, you may have noticed a change in campus security. Director of Security and Safety, Casey McCarthy felt like it was time for a change.  "We represent more than just security on campus.  I thought changing the name to Public Safety explained more of what we do."                     

McCarthy takes claim for the new look on campus. “I was in charge of the name change, as well as choosing new uniforms and designs for the vehicles,” He said.  McCarthy explained the idea behind the uniform change was to add a look of professionalism.  Previously, the students had worn black polo's with "security" stitched on the sleeve.  Now they have grey polyester button-ups shirts with black trim on the front pockets and shoulders, complemented with a black tie, black pants and black shoes.

According to the BSU Web site the goal of Public Safety is to provide safety and security to the campus community.  The Department of Public Safety is a division of BSU Administrative Affairs.  McCarthy and his team maintain safety on both the BSU campus and that of Northwest Technical College (NTC).  They are responsible for all campus security and parking enforcement at both BSU and NTC.  “We are the only department that is open 24/7,” claimed McCarthy.  “There are always two officers on duty.  Students should feel free to stop by at anytime,” He said.

A small sample of interviews was conducted last week to gain some opinions about Public Safety from the student body.  Most students questioned hadn't noticed a name change until it was revealed to them.  The majority thought that parking detail was the main priority of Public Safety, perhaps because they have only dealt with Public Safety in regards to parking situations.  Billy Sather, BSU Junior, was close in his assumption of Public Safety.  "They are in charge of enforcing campus laws, like giving parking tickets, responding to campus emergencies and keeping sporting events safe,” He said.

Public Safety actually has a number of other responsibilities, including personal safety, programming, property protection, escort service, emergency preparedness, environmental health, lost and found, injury reports, parking regulations and weapons storage.

The environmental health and safety aspect was an important concern with McCarthy.  He mentioned that Public Safety was responsible for recycling and trash on campus, the dorms complying with health and safety standards and all kitchens on campus as well.

The weapons storage is a service that will not be found on many campuses in Minnesota besides BSU.  Many outdoor enthusiasts take advantage of storing firearms and bows in the weapons locker.  Ethan Branum, BSU junior, said, "When I was a freshman at BSU, I put my guns in the locker, because they are expensive and I didn't want them stolen out of my car." Students can take advantage of this and other opportunities that Public Safety has to offer by visiting them in the basement of Walnut Hall.

Public Safety can also be reached at (218) 755-3888 or publicsafety@bemidjistate.edu.  For more information, visit www.bemidjistate.edu/offices/safety/.

Bemidji State Public Safety officers patrol and monitor the streets and parking lots of BSU and NTC in these vehicles.  Photo Taken By: Andrew Pooch.

Public Safety is located in the basement of Walnut Wall. Students are encouraged to stop by there anytime they feel like they have a “safety” issue that needs to be dealt with. Photo Taken By: Andrew Pooch.

Students not interested in buying a yearly parking pass have the option of parking in one of many parking meters on campus. Public Safety is in charge of monitoring the meters and collecting money from the machines. Photo Taken By: Nick Jelacie.

Easing into Education at Bemidji State University

Building Directory in Deputy Hall

                                        

Admissions Office at BSU offers answers for most questions

Posters for BSU Homecoming and BSU College Republicans

Career Services offers a variety of available jobs and opportunities

                          
Reporting & Writing-Story #2

Easing into the College Life

                                        Easing into Education at Bemidji State University

                                           Helpful Resources to make the college life less stressful

By Tara Hjermstad

The transition into college life is often very hectic and at many times confusing. Bemidji State University offers a variety of resources to answer any questions that may come about, whether it may be about living arrangements, meals, clothing, health care, parking, tuition, class schedules, professor’s hours, or anything else having to do with campus life.

The Help Desk, located in the Upper Union, has answers to almost any question about campus, and if they are unsure, they know where to direct students. This is where students come to get their photo id, which will get them into the library, super lab or any campus events.

Each of the seven dorms has a help desk located on the main floor at the front entrance of the building. There is a student worker or RA working the front desk in each dorm between the hours of 8 a.m.-1 a.m. Monday-Friday. Students can learn about dorm happenings, giving the opportunity to meet other new students, thus making the transfer into college-life more bearable. Amanda Vincent, a sophomore studying Math, says, “I met all of my friends last year on either the 11th or 12th floor of Tamarack.” Dorm life is a good way to socialize, and be more active in school events, thus making college a better learning experience.

Books are available at the on-campus bookstore, located in the Lower Union. Here, they often hire students to help with assisting other new students with questions on books and other supplies. Nicole Borwege, a student at BSU that works in the bookstore 2 days a week, says, “It’s always busy for the first couple weeks of school, but it’s a lot of fun working there, because I often recognize people from class and on-camps. It’s a good way to meet people and make new friends.”

Any questions about meal plans can be answered in the Union by one of the helpful lunch servers. There are certain lunch id’s needed to charge meals, so it is a must that these needs are met before expecting a meal. Edie Leem, the office manager in Dining Services, estimates that there are “around 100” on-campus food service employees. There are four meal plans offered, those being: 1200 all Beaver Bucks, which will allow students to eat anywhere on campus, 835 Beaver Bucks, for upper-class men only, allowed to eat anywhere, 355 Commuter Plan, and the NA100 and NA200 Plans, which allow students to only eat at Wally’s, but spend the Beaver Bucks anywhere.

Being far from home is also tough with health care, not having the familiar health care physician available. BSU offers on-campus health services with one registered LPN, two Nurse Practitioners, and, by usually by appointment only, 1-2 doctors per week. Jessica Conger, a sophomore and 2nd year employee of BSU Health Services, says they see about 30-40 students on an average day, coming in for anything from the “common cold, virus or sports physicals,” but the services do not stop there. Health Services also offers two licensed psychologists, free of charge to students that have paid their health services fee, in Birch Hall. Some over the counter medications are available, most only with a doctor’s prescription and some only sample-sized. There is a flu clinic held every year, this year’s being held on October 13th from 9 a.m - 4 p.m. with a $25.00 charge per student. Most insurances are covered in any health care cost-most of the “widely known.” It is here that students can find comfort even in an unfamiliar health care facility.

Parking can be impossible at times, given the limited space, and it is important to find a spot that works best for each schedule. The Cashier’s Office is available to purchase parking tickets, the cost may be spendy, but it’s better than getting a parking ticket. When purchasing a parking pass, you will need your student ID ready, to make sure that the parking lot is being used for students only, since that’s what it’s for. Also available in the Cashier’s Office is tuition payments, student employment information, and any other billing questions. Pam Papp, a secretary in the Cashier’s Office says, “It is important to pay all bills as soon as possible, to make that the fee doesn’t grow.”

The Admissions Office has maps available; to make sure that every student knows where to park to be closest to the building that their classes are in. Also in the Admissions Office, Joe Sunderman, a sophomore studying criminal justice, works 3-4 days a week under the student employment plan, says his job in the Admissions Office is basically “giving tours and answering phones.” The Admissions Office is in charge of just about everything from receiving applications, giving tours and handling scholarships.

Tuition questions are popular in many students, and the Financial Aid Office is available to offer any guidance when filing for student aid, grants or loans. This is a big step in a student’s college career, and the financial aid staff is trained in guiding a plan for each budget. Lori Peterson, a secretary in the Financial Aid office advises, “Get in touch with the Financial Aid Office as soon as possible, to make sure that all bills and payments are ready to go for the new semester.” Falling behind in payment could cause cancellation of credits, or even postponement of enrollment.

Class schedules are often very confusing the first few weeks of school. New buildings, new professor’s, new classmates are all part of this experience. It is important to get to know each professor as best as possible, to make certain that both the student and professor are on the same page when it comes to academics, being as this is the reason for college in the first place. Knowing which classes are in which building will keep schedules gliding smoothly. Each building offers a map or a staff that is familiar with campus and can guide anyone to where they need to be.

Professor’s schedules are often listed on their office doors or in the class syllabus. It is important to know each professor’s schedule, in case of any questions.

Every class that is offered at Bemidji State University has a help lab with certain hours to make sure each student is completely comfortable in every class. These help labs are often guided by upper-class students that excel in that certain subject, often times chosen by the professors.

Any other questions can be answered by the Admissions Office at Bemidji State University.

It is important that every student feels comfortable on campus, and does an excellent job of this, offering many resources to answer any questions it’s students may have.

Local Reporters visit Bemidji State Classroom

And Offer advice to Students

By Casey Dainsberg (STORY #3)

Last Tuesday, two local reporters from the community visited a Bemidji State classroom and talked to students. Anne Williams and Bethany Wesley, reporters for the Bemidji Pioneer, gave students a first-hand look into the field of journalism.

Both Wesley and Williams held a variety of positions in the field of journalism before getting their current jobs at the Bemidji Pioneer. Williams graduated in 2007from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with majors in wildlife ecology and journalism. She worked for the campus newspaper, and did two internships that applied to both her majors; first for an outdoors magazine, and then for a daily newspaper writing feature stories. She paid tribute to her experiences, remarking in an e-mail, “I am grateful I went ahead with the unpaid internship. I was still a college student but living the life as a real reporter. I learned more on the job than any class in college.”

Wesley took a different course. She graduated from Southwest State University (presently Southwest Minnesota State University) in the year 2002. Her degree was in creative writing and literature. During her sophomore year, Wesley joined the college newspaper. She did this to fulfill a class requirement; mostly focusing on writing sports and news stories. In her junior year, she got a job at a local daily newspaper where she worked covering sports. “By my senior year, I was working about 25 hours a week in the sports department and serving as the sports editor of the college paper,” stated Wesley in an e-mail.

Wesley and Williams both spent time at several newspapers after their schooling. Before joining the Bemidji Pioneer, Wesley worked at four other newspapers in the metro area as news reporter, sports reporter, editor, and managing editor. Eventually in June of 2007, Wesley joined the Bemidji Pioneer and has since covered city news and the crime reports. Williams started her career in northern Michigan working as a public use coordinator at Seney National Wildlife Refuge. From there she moved to Hackensack, Minn., where she worked as a teacher at Deep Portage Learning Center. After marrying in 2008, she came to Bemidji.  In July of 2009, she became a reporter for the Bemidji Pioneer, where she currently covers education and some outdoor news.

With all these experiences, Williams and Wesley have learned a lot about themselves and their professions. Williams discussed the challenges of her job: “Learning about a very large school district, three charter schools, a university and two colleges and writing about these different institutions continues to be a learning process.” She went on to describe challenges when it comes to keeping up with technology. “I deal with the computer program we type our stories in,” she said, “working with the Associated Press, updating our Web site, blogging and checking the Web sites of organizations like the Minnesota Department of Education and Minnesota Colleges and Universities.”

In addition, Wesley said that one of her greatest challenges is “I get restless…sometimes, if you stay in the same position long enough, you get lazy. You know your contacts and you tend to rely on your favorites more than you should.”

When asked what they wanted their readers to get out the articles, Williams replied, “I would like readers to get an accurate and objective report of what has occurred or what is about to occur.” She does this by asking herself “How will this impact the community?” Wesley said she wants her readers to understand “The truth of what happened. That is your main goal of being a reporter: accurate coverage.”

“Expose yourself to as many different situations and experiences as you can.” Wesley said in her e-mail, giving advice to Journalism and Mass Communication students, “never underestimate experience…I got a much better reception [at job fairs] because I had written on deadline, knew how to do layout and could cover everything from sports to news. “ she continued, saying “Trust me, the grades are nice and all, but employees - especially now - are looking to hire people who can sit down and punch out copy on Day 1.” Williams had similar advice, saying “Get involved. Join the student newspaper,” and “Take a graphic design class. Today reporters are expected to know page layout and even web design.”

Word Count: 699

Bethany Wesley, Reporter for the Bemidji Pioneer
(Used with permission, photo from Bethany Wesley)

Beltrami County Officials Respond to Plane Crash Simulation

Exercise tests emergency workers on the shore of Lake Bemidji

By Caley Jorgensen

Story #2

September 18^th, 2010

Word Count: 523

Area residents heard the sirens of an ambulance, fire truck, and police cars blaring through the streets last Thursday evening. Beltrami County Full Scale Airport Exercise prepared a simulation of a crash to allow emergency personnel to respond if an aircraft were to crash into Lake Bemidji. This exercise was designed to test the responders on how they handle a situation and how they work together.

The simulation took place at Cameron Beach, where volunteers gathered to set up the scene. Although no plane actually crashed into the lake, the exercise involved a realistic scenario, which involved a hijacker, a weapon, and the victims.

Students who played roles of floating victims
were placed a half mile off this shore at
Cameron Beach.

The scene started at 6 p.m. when an armed passenger entered the cockpit of a plane that departed from Minneapolis and would arrive in Bemidji. Emergency workers immediately responded when phone calls were received by the Beltrami County Communications Center that a plane had crashed in Lake Bemidji about a half-mile off shore of Cameron Beach. Even though this scene was made up, responders and volunteers treated victims, as they would, in real-life situations.

“The purpose of the drill was for emergency service providers to practice working together,” said Neil Dolan, an evaluator of the exercise. The different roles in which people participated in included controllers, evaluators, victims, and civilians. Dolan did his part by being behind the scenes and observing how everything played out. “I took notes on what can be improved and what went well,” said Dolan. “It was good to see cooperation between different agencies.”



Krysta Ryant participated in the exercise as
a victim. "It was interesting to see how the
 workers responded and treated us," Ryant said.



Many workers came to help the victims of the mock plane crash, as they would in a real situation. BSU junior Krysta Ryant played the role of a victim of the crash. “North Country first responders came, followed by Bemidji ambulance service and fire department,” Ryant explained. Along with these workers, Beltrami County Sheriff’s office responded, as well as Civil Air Control, Sheriff’s Mounted Posse, Transportation Security Administration, and Border Control.

With a total of 23 victims of the plane crash, some stayed on a pontoon on the lake, acting as though they had been stranded in the water, and others stood on shore as if they swam back. Each victim had a badge saying what injuries they had to act out. On the back side of Krysta Ryant’s badge, it explained her part and read “swam to shore, exhausted, large cut to head above eye.” All responders to the emergency treated victims with real materials, including neck braces and gauze.

One thing the participants did not expect was the real emergency call. “We were setback a little bit due to the fact we had two actual fires in Beltrami County and the fire department had to respond to them,” Neil Dolan explained. The Bemidji Fire Department returned to finish the simulation after responding to the fires in town.